10 Vegetarian Christmas Recipes

Here are a hand-picked few of my favorite gluten-free vegetarian recipes.

Winter Solstice has blessed us with a turning point. Daylight now grows longer inch by inch. Or is that minute by wintry minute? In spirit, I suspect, it is both. Christmas is almost here, and the season celebrating rebirth, light, and sliding into credit card debt is in full swing. Carolers are caroling. Gift wrappers are gift wrapping. Egg noggers are nogging. The shiny New Year crouches right around the corner.

I can't be the only person not forking a slab of meat on Christmas day. I can't be the single solitary soul who doesn't treasure bacon fat like it's a princess tiara. I'm not alone in my imaginings of a fresh and lively meatless Christmas dinner--- am I?

Okay. Okay. I get it. I honestly do. I realize I'm in the minority here. That to most folks celebrating the winter holidays in all their myriad and nuanced diversity, meat is the centerpiece of celebration. I acknowledge that. I even accept that. Just because I've been a vegetarian 78% of my life doesn't mean I bury my head in the sand of denial. I cope. I deal.

Easy, beautiful entrees for a vegetarian Christmas include elegant vegan soups, creative quinoa salads and homespun casseroles. For starters-- here's a couple of tasty gluten-free appetizers and vegan snacks to get the peace party rollin'.

This raw almond spread some might call a not-tuna salad. But if the term not-tuna offends you to the core as it did one reader (perhaps due to its deep sea swimming reference to canned Charlie himself), tell your vegan guests it's a light and fresh nutty pate. The gluten-free crackers speak for themselves. There won't be a crumb left.

I can't tell you how many times I've made this vegan cream cheese spread since learning I could indulge in soy again. Choose a brand that uses non-GMO soybeans for their cream cheese, such as Vegan Gourmet. The crackers are made with hazelnut flour (if you cannot find hazelnut flour, try almond flour).

How about a bowl of snowy white soup to warm you on a Christmas day? We cook our vegan dairy-free potato leek soup in our trusty old Crock Pot. It doesn't get any easier. And it frees you to do more important things. Like lure a certain someone to the mistletoe. You can also find more vegetarian soup recipes here.

Serve an orange crush of gorgeous flavors when you ladle out this complex, spicy vegan soup. Mulligatawny is especially hearty when you add a scoop of hot cooked jasmine rice to the bowl. Top it all off with chopped red onion, fresh cilantro, a dab of vegan sour cream or crisp shredded apple. Pair this with a loaf of my grainy Pueblo Bread and you have a satisfying meal.

Christmas means roasted potatoes for many. But what if you're shunning the gravy inducing roast? How about this vegan toss-together combo of potatoes, onion, garlic, tomatoes, olives and raisins--- with some hot pepper flakes thrown in to kick it up Sicilian style? One of my spur of the moment inspirations that we love.

I know stuffed cabbage is old school. Like. Really old school. But there's a reason some folks don't celebrate Christmas without it. I can't think of that reason at the moment, but I'm sure it's a good one. Maybe it's because stuffed cabbage is a delicious make-ahead comfort food well suited for a dark and snowy night. No beef or rice filling here. I've put a twist on this classic recipe using quinoa and roasted sweet potato instead. Vegan deliciousness.

For our last recipe idea I'm offering this super easy layered enchilada casserole. It's too good not to share, and often overlooked because of it's humble, wallflower nature. You can make it ahead of time and free up your day to go play with your new presents. Or take the dog for a romp in the snow. I use soy cream cheese in the filling. It makes for a delightfully light and fluffy center that cools the spicy fire of the roasted chile peppers (you can make it mild as well).